The Bears struggled to move the ball early against the NFC North rival Vikings on Sunday. They also saw quarterback Justin Fields leave the game injured, with undrafted rookie backup Tyson Bagent taking over for Chicago halfway through the third quarter. The team ruled him out for the rest of the game with an injury to his throwing hand.
On Monday, head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed Fields suffered a dislocated thumb and said the quarterback is doubtful to play in Week 7 when they host the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday. Eberflus did not reveal a specific timetable for when Fields may be ready to get back onto the field and noted that "it's really going to come down to grip strength."
No surgery is imminent for Fields, per NFL Media, and the hope is for rehab to improve his grip strength and for him to get back onto the field as soon as possible. In the case of needing surgery, Fields would be out indefinitely.
Fields had completed just six of 10 passes for 58 yards and an interception, down 12-6, when he hit the ground hard at the end of a rushing attempt toward the sideline. He remained on the field for the following play but was slow to get up after a scramble and pass.
Fields had exploded in recent weeks, with eight combined touchdown passes in Chicago's previous two games. He also led the Bears in rushing, with eight carries for 46 yards, before exiting Sunday's Week 6 matchup, which ended with the Vikings winning 19-13.
Bagent, who went undrafted out of Division II Shepherd University, beat out veteran P.J. Walker for Chicago's top backup job in the preseason. He entered Sunday as the Bears' only other active QB, with reserve Nathan Peterman injured. On his first series in relief of Fields, he fumbled the ball, which the Vikings recovered and returned for a touchdown to go up 19-6. He did rebound a bit, finishing his day 10 of 14 passing for 83 but also threw an interception to Minnesota's Byron Murphy Jr. at the two-minute warning which proved to be the final possession of the game for Chicago.